“That’s great,” Meg said. “Friends are awesome.” Then she punched me on the shoulder. “Even if they have bad taste in shows.”

My mother appeared, tugging a sweater on over her scrubs. “Asher, dear, go brush your teeth and your hair. It’s almost time for you to go.”

Asher got up from the table, looking embarrassed in front of Meg—not that I blamed him. He was thirty-three. His mother should not be telling him to go brush his hair in front of other people. He grabbed his device and headed for his room with his distinctively stilted, tip-toed walk.

“Mrs. Reynolds is picking him up at five?” I asked my mother.

My mother nodded as she dug through her purse for something. “Yes, and warming up his dinner, which I left in the fridge. I won’t be back until after six.”

“Okay. Let me know if you need anything else this week. I’m off Thursday, Friday, Saturday.”

“How about taking him to adaptive swim on Friday?”

I nodded. That would be the perfect time to ask him about this Alicia. “That works. Usual time?”

“Yes.” She came over and kissed my cheek. “You’re an angel. Mostly.” Then she rubbed Meg’s shoulder. “And it’s so lovely to see you, dear.”

Meg smiled up at her. “Thank you, you too.”

“How nice the two of you are still such good friends after all this time. It makes you wonder, doesn’t it?”

“Bye, Ma.” I gave her a warning look.

“I mean, really, what a special, special relationship you two have,” she gushed. “You’ve cared for each other all these years. It’s really something. Are you single, Meg?”

Meg pressed her lips into a line. “At the moment.”

“What a coincidence, so is Noah! And if you ask me, when two people—”

“We didn’t ask you. Goodbye, Ma.” I got up from my chair and collected Renzo. “Come on, boy. Let’s go. You ready, Meg?”

She stood too. “Sure. Bye, Mrs. McCormick—I mean Carol.”

My mother sighed and looked at the blank space on the mantel, and then heavenward. “Goodbye, dear.”

After dropping Asher off at work, we drove back into town and walked around with Renzo on his leash, ducking in and out of shops (I waited for her outside if the shop didn’t allow dogs) and stopping practically every few feet to chat with people who recognized Renzo and me.

“You should totally run for sheriff,” Meg said as we strolled in the afternoon sun. “Everyone in this town adores you.”

I shrugged, although I’d thought about it a million times. “I don’t know about that.”

“Didn’t your father like the job?”

“He loved it.”

“So why wouldn’t you?”

“I don’t want a lot of people poking in my business. And I’ve never liked politics. The thought of having to campaign for something pretty much makes me want to vomit.”

She rolled her eyes. “Oh come on. It’s not that bad. You’ve got a squeaky clean record, right? You’re a hometown boy, a combat veteran, a sheriff’s deputy—not to mention the son of the most beloved sheriff this county ever had. And no skeletons in the closet! Jesus, you’re a shoo-in. Who’d even run against you?”

“How do you know I don’t have any skeletons in the closet?” I asked her.

“I guess I don’t. Do you?” She elbowed me. “Are there bodies in your basement? A wife chained up in the attic? Are you a Russian spy?”

“No.”

“Then you should do it.” Excited, she grabbed my hand. “I could even help you! I’ve got a ton of experience as a campaign strategist. I can’t believe I didn’t think of this before. We could do it together! We’d make a great team!”

“You’re crazy,” I said. “You don’t even live here.”

“Well, I’d help you hire the right people locally. I’m sure we could find someone to manage everything. Just give it some thought, okay? I bet your dad would love the idea.”

I didn’t answer right away as I thought about some of those conversations with my dad in the end. “Yeah. We talked about it a little.”

“And?”

“And he was all for it,” I confessed.

“See?” She tugged on my hand. “It’s meant to be.”

“I’ll think about it.”

“Good.”

We walked all the way to the edge of town, then crossed the street and headed east toward the harbor and beach.

She didn’t let go of my hand, and I liked it.

It reminded me of another day, a missed opportunity. If I could do it over again, would I kiss her?

I couldn’t decide.

Ten

Meg

When we reached the sand, Noah took Renzo off the leash and let him run around the empty beach. Right away he found a stick and brought it over to us, wanting to play fetch. Noah threw it for him.

But he didn’t let go of my hand.

My breath was starting to come a little faster. My arms were blanketed in gooseflesh. My knees felt a little weak. I had that crazy urge to kiss him, just like I’d had last night. I just wanted to know what it would be like to feel his lips on mine. I allowed myself a brief From Here to Eternity fantasy, picturing Noah and myself as Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr, rolling around in the surf.

Good Lord, Meg. Get a grip.

“It looks so different in the fall, doesn’t it?” I asked, glancing around at the deserted beach. “In the summertime, it’s always so packed.”

“Yeah.”

“Want to walk a little?”

“Sure.”

Still hand in hand, Renzo happily trotting ahead of us, we strolled to the north, the wind in our faces. I pointed at the water. “And right there, lady and gentleman voters, is where the future Sheriff Noah McCormick saved my life.”

Noah shook his head. “God, that was fucking scary.”

“It was.” I squeezed his hand. “I don’t mean to make light of it. I’m grateful every day.”

“I’m just glad I was there and happened to be looking in the right direction.”

“What?” I stopped walking and stared at him. “That’s not what happened at all, Noah. It wasn’t an accident you were looking in the right direction—it was fate!”

He chuckled and adjusted his cap. “Okay.”

I clucked my tongue as we started walking again. “Fine, if you don’t believe me. But I have always known deep down that the universe meant for you to save me.”

“Yeah?”

“Of course! There’s no other way to explain it. We went from being perfect strangers to being the best of friends in a matter of days, didn’t we?”

“I guess.”

“And we’re still close, even though we live far apart and don’t talk every day. I love that about our friendship. I love everything about our friendship. I don’t tell you often enough, but I’m really glad you’re in my life.”